Romeo and Juliet Flashcards
Shakespeare’s intentions with Romeo
- Shakespeare shows the consequences of violating societal, religious and familial constructs. These foundational constructs in society are insurmountable, even in the face of true love. Thus he makes Romeo’s hamartia his impetuousness - his inability to navigate social expectations reinforces the folly of youth
- Through dramatic irony, Shakespeare’s crafting of an inevitable tragedy shows how love and violence are inextricably linked. He utilises Romeo as an example of this entwined duality, portraying him as the embodiment of the conflicts of love and violence within a single individual
- Shakespeare’s tragic portrayal of Romeo and Juliet reinforces that even then seemingly boundless power of love is ultimately constrained by forces beyond human control. He reinforces Elizabethan ideas of determinism showing celestial bodies were powerful forces on human life
“There lie more peril in [her] eye / Than twenty of their swords” Act 2
Romeo
Themes: youth, individual vs society, violence, family, love
Violent image: crafted through ‘swords’ suggestive of Romeo’s subconscious recognition of the violence intertwined with his love for Juliet. Their defiance of societal and familial boundaries positions their love as a violating act, filled with ‘peril’
Romeo acknowledges this peril of love goes beyond the threat of physical harm from the ‘swords’ of the enemies, but doesn’t realise that it has the potential for societal isolation and familial bloodshed - the young eponymous characters are blinded by passion and are ignorant to the perils of this prohibited love
Other violent allusions: association of death and violence with their love is further emphasises by Tybalt’s demand for Romeo to ‘draw his sword’. This seemingly innocuous challenge becomes a from foreboding of the inevitable tragedy as it simultaneously marks the moment Romeo falls in love with Juliet
Thus, Romeo’s love for Juliet, from its very inception is tarnished by the shadow of death and violence, hinting at the ‘star-cross-d’ nature of their romance
“But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun.” Act 2
Romeo
Themes: love, individual vs society, youth, fate
Celestial metaphor: likening J to ‘the sun’, an act of aggrandisement that elevates J’s position by suggesting she possesses the ability to illuminate the sky. This portrayal not only compounds J’s significance but also emphasises R’s belief that his love for her transcends mortal limitations, akin to celestial bodies
Given the Elizabethan fascination with fate and astrology, Shakespeare’s audience is prompted to scrutinise the naive idealism of the youthful lovers - they tragically perceive their love as boundless
Semantic field of light: created through ‘light’ and ‘sun’ symbolising how the love shared between R + J has metaphorically illuminated his existence
This enlightenment may stem from R’s newfound understanding of love, contrasting it with the unrequited love/lust he had for Rosaline. Moreover, it has illuminated the futility in the longstanding familial feuds that had previously kept them apart
“With love’s wings did I o’erperch these walls, for stony limits cannot hold love out” Act 2
Romeo
Themes: youth, individual vs society, family vs duty, love
Metaphor: ‘love’s wings’ has a classical allusion to Cupid, the roman god of love, often depicted with wings. This shows that for R, love is a transcendent force capable of defying physical limitations and boundaries
‘Wings’ also carries classical allusion to wings of Icarus, the figure who met his downfall when his wings, made of wax, melted when he flew too close to the sun. Thus, the wings, once a symbol of liberation and soaring passion have a morbid undertone
Speaks in verse: iambic pentameter, characterising him to be romantic and decorative in his language showing love to take precedence over the pettiness of familial feuds
In this scene, Shakespeare creates a haven of romantic hope, momentarily separate from the play’s undertones of violence
“Thy beauty hath made me effeminate” Act 3
Romeo
Themes: love, violence, individual vs society
Patriarchal norms: violence was synonymous with masculinity in Elizabethan society
R’s initial reluctance to fight, fuelled by his love for J, shows how he prioritises love’s tenderness over the expected norms of aggression
Effeminate image: However, Mercutio’s death acts as a catalyst for a dramatic shift in Romeo’s character. As ‘effeminate’ creates a womanly image, he becomes aware of the potentially devastating consequences of his reluctant propensity towards violence
His vow to avenge Mercutio through violence can be seen as a desperate attempt to reclaim his masculine identity he has lost to love
Link to theme of youth: R personifies the folly of youth, he is impulsive and rash in his pursuit of love. Yet, his impulsivity doesn’t extend to violence and aggression. He therefore conflict with this impetuous presentation of youth in terms of patriarchal violence
“Then I defy you, stars!” Act 5
Romeo
Themes: chance/fate, youth, individual vs society, love, violence
Apostrophe: where R directly addresses the stars, personifies them as tangible forces capable of replying to him
This shows both R’s deteriorating mental state, and also illuminates the immense power he gives to these celestial bodies
Exclamative sentence: emphasises R’s descent into despair and his recognition of the tragic fate that awaits him
Despite his youthful defiance against societal, religious and familial boundaries, his defiance proves futile. The stars, once symbols of destiny, now feel like a malevolent force actively working against him
Shakespeare’s intentions with Juliet
- Through dramatic irony, Shakespeare’s crafting of an inevitable tragedy shows how love and violence are inextricably linked. He utilises Romeo as an example of this entwined duality, portraying him as the embodiment of the conflicts of love and violence within a single individual
- Shakespeare’s tragic portrayal of Romeo and Juliet reinforces that even then seemingly boundless power of love is ultimately constrained by forces beyond human control. He reinforces Elizabethan ideas of determinism showing celestial bodies were powerful forces on human life
- Juliet is constructed by Shakespeare as impulsive and fervid. Shakespeare links how her impulsiveness and recklessness is her hamartia - the very qualities that have led directly to her imminent demise. Shakespeare highlights the dangers of unchecked passion and the importance of considering consequences before acting impulsively
“My only love, sprung from my only hate!” Act 1
Juliet
Themes: love, violence, youth, family and duty, individual vs society
Juxtaposition: juxtaposition of ‘love’ and ‘hate’ encapsulates that core conflict of these two concepts which underpins the play
As it is said by J in act 1, this foreshadows at the intertwined nature of passion and violence - these two forces will become indistinguishable, catalysing the tragedy further
Personal pronoun ‘my’: repeated use highlights J’s prioritisation of her own love over the societal and familial expectations that once restricted
The young eponymous character of Juliet is blinded by passion and are ignorant to the dangers of this prohibited love. As ‘hate’ ends this sentence it could foreshadow how the feud will symbolically and physically end her and Romeo’s love
“If he be married, / My grave is like to be my wedding bed” Act 1
Juliet
Themes: destiny, violence, love, individual vs society
Dramatic irony: The prologue sets the stage for the audience, foretelling the tragic destiny awaiting both R + J. This creates dramatic irony since J remains unaware of her impending fate. Her impulsive nature becomes her hamartia, as she fails to grasp the true consequences of pursuing forbidden love
Shakespeare follows Aristotle’s conventions of tragedy, aiming to produce pathos from the audience. Here, pathos arises from Juliet’s youthful recklessness on love, ultimately leading to her demise
Syntax: ‘grave’ before ‘wedding bed’ hints at J’s looming death before she can consummate her marriage
This foreshadowing, coupled with her obliviousness to her grim fate reinforces deterministic themes - Juliet’s tragic ending was predetermined by cosmic forces
“Deny thy father and refuse thy name” Act 2.2
Juliet
Themes: family and duty, love, violence, youth, individual vs society
‘Deny’ and ‘refuse’ semantic field of defiance: illustrating her rebellion and defiance against the constraints of the family feud and commitment to true love
This declaration exemplifies her to be rather impulsive and fervid in the way she loves, which is agin, characteristic of the sign that she is born under, Leo. Elizabethans believed celestial bodies to have an enormous influence over a person’s disposition which explains why Juliet is so akin to those traits of her Sogn
Patriarchal society: her statement to ‘deny thy father’ goes against the norms of a patriarchal society where daughters were considered their father’s property, used to enhance his political and social standing through arranged marriages
By rejecting her father, J challenges a fundamental societal structure. This reinforces her blind passion, disregarding social norms and considering no institution, whether legal, familial or religious as a barrier
“O serpent heart, hid with a flowering face!” Act 3
Juliet
Themes: violence, love, family and duty, individual vs society
Biblical allusions: ‘serpent’ carries biblical allusions to story of Adam and Eve. J’s use of this term suggests her disillusionment with their love. Just as the serpent brought sin and suffering into the world in Genesis, J realises that R’s involvement in her life will lead to similar consequences
The religious undertone may also reflect J’s recognition of her deviation from religious teachings. by defying societal norms for the sake of love, she now questions the strength of their love
Natural imagery: ‘serpent’ and ‘flowering’ makes hatred and love seem natural and innate
Critic D. A Traversi says that ‘love and death’ are ‘separate and identical’ in the play, this is clear as J’s passionate hatred for R here has similarities for her passionate love for him throughout
“Then I’ll be brief. O happy dagger” Act 5
Juliet
Themes: Violence, love, family and duty, youth, individual vs society
Oxymoron ‘happy dagger’: joyous connotations of ‘happy’ starkly contrast deadly imagery of ‘dagger’. This juxtaposition illustrates J’s profound sorrow as she seeks comfort in death, seeing it as an eternal reunion with R
This act of self-sacrifice characterises her as a tragic heroine. Her strength and self-discovery is clear at the start, yet her passionate nature ultimately leads to her tragic end
Diction on ‘brief’: shows her urgent desire to escape from a world where their forbidden love challenges societal norms enforced by law, family and religion. In death, they can finally be together, free from these obstacles
Her urgency to speed up the process highlights, in her final moments, that her impulsiveness and recklessness is her hamartia
Links to theme of fate: Her bleak and tragic ending reinforces ideas of determinism. She was bound to her fate, and despite her naive idealism about their passionate love, it was not enough to alter her inevitable destiny
Shakespeare’s intentions with Lord Capulet
- Shakespeare constructs Lord Capulet to symbolise the patriarchal and hierarchal structure of Elizabethan society. Shakespeare compels the audience to confront the oppressive nature of patriarchal systems and the toll they exact on individual lives
- Lord Capulet’s grief-stricken outburst after J’s death is created by Shakespeare to deliver a powerful message about the nature of pride and hatred. The audience are forced to acknowledge the destructive power of feuds and they importance of valuing compassion over hatred
“Hang, beg, starve, die” Act 3
Lord Capulet
Themes: love, violence, family vs duty, individual vs society
Asyndetic listing: shows his venomous anger towards J’s refusal to marry Paris. The asyndeton intensifies his fury as he is so enraged, he can only think to utter violent insults at J.
His resort to verbal abuse, signals a stark departure from the tenderness he once showed J in Act 1. Instead, he displays cruel indifference, portraying him as having a tyrannical demeanour
Patriarchy: he symbolises the patriarchal and hierarchical structure of Elizabethan society, where fathers held authority over they daughters and used their marriages to enhance their own social and financial standing. J’s refusal was an assault on the patriarchy and a gross revolt against the natural order of society
This conflict highlights the conflict between adhering to social conventions and fulfilling one’s duty. Lord Capulet, consumed by duty and societal expectations, clings to these, even if it means sacrificing his daughter’s well-being
“Death lies on her like an untimely frost / Upon the sweetest flower of all the field” Act 4
Lord Capulet
Themes: Youth, love, violence, individual vs society, family vs duty
Connotations of ‘flower’: connotations of delicacy and fragility, emphasising Lord Capulet’s sorrow over the fragility of J’s life in her death. The superlative ‘sweetest’ further illustrates J’s exceptional innocence and purity, suggesting that she was the epitome of sweetness and beauty among all children
However, despite her delicate nature, Lord Capulet’s focus on duty and hatred blinded him to her vulnerabilities. His inability to recognise and protect J’s fragility ultimately leads to her tragic demise
Natural imagery: created through ‘frost’ and ‘flowers’ serves to emphasise the unnatural and premature death of J
It also illustrates Lord Capulet’s remorse towards this unnatural and futile feud which produced this tragedy. Shakespeare uses Lord Capulet to show the tragic consequences of unchecked pride and hatred
